That Time the Partridge Family Visited an X-Rated Movie Set

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Welcome to the 960th edition of our series, where we investigate three myths, rumors, and legends to see if they’re true or not. Today, we’re looking into a story about the Partridge Family – did they actually visit an adult movie set, as depicted in one of their comic books?

My friend Jennifer Contino, a pioneer in online comic book journalism, is having surgery today. It reminded me of a question she asked me a while ago: did the TV show ‘The Partridge Family’ actually feature a visit to an adult film set in their comic book series?

It’s very common online to see people alter old comic books, changing the dialogue to something strange, and then express shock that those words were ever used without considering how they might be understood today.

A memorable comic panel recently resurfaced online featuring Iron Man advising Captain America. The panel contains language that some interpreted as highly inappropriate, specifically Iron Man saying what sounded like a vulgar phrase. This led to a widespread theory that the phrase was actually an old-fashioned way of saying ‘good advice.’ I previously questioned the validity of this claim, finding it hard to believe.

It . There’s a similar fake panel floating around involving He-Man’s .

When some panels from a Partridge Family comic book started circulating online – panels that appeared to show Danny Partridge on the set of an adult film – many people assumed they were fake, despite how realistic they looked. I said I needed to see the whole comic to determine if it was genuine. I even clarified that while I suspected it was real, I’d need to see the full story to be completely convinced.

As it turned out, it WAS a real panel from an issue of the Partridge Family comic book series!

What was the Partridge Family?

I remember when The Partridge Family first came on TV! It was a Friday night show, debuting in the fall of 1970 on ABC. It was a really strange time for television, actually. The government was about to make all the networks give up a half hour of prime time. Back then, prime time started at 7:30, and family sitcoms usually kicked things off. But the next year, the government made the networks hand over the whole 7pm hour to local stations.

Although The Partridge Family is often compared to The Brady Bunch, it actually first aired alongside The Nanny and the Professor. The Brady Bunch premiered at 7:30 PM, and The Partridge Family initially aired around the same time. However, after its first season, the network lost the 7:30 PM slot, and that’s when The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch began airing back-to-back for the next two seasons.

The TV show The Partridge Family was inspired by a real-life pop group from the late 1960s called The Cowsills. The network initially planned to cast the actual Cowsills children as the band members, but they weren’t strong actors and were a little too old for the roles – the show was meant to depict the start of their career. Shirley Jones, a well-known singer and actress, was always intended to play the mother figure.

When using the real Cowsills family didn’t pan out, the show cast young actors, including David Cassidy (as Keith Partridge, and Jones’ stepson), Susan Dey (as Laurie Partridge), and Danny Bonaduce (as the playful Danny Partridge). Initially, only Jones did the singing, but Cassidy persuaded the producers he could sing too. From then on, Cassidy and Jones sang their own parts, while the rest of the cast pretended to sing along to recordings made by professional singers.

The show quickly became a hit, and its music gained popularity beyond the television series – notably, the song “I Think I Love You” launched Cassidy into teen idol status. Like many shows centered around music, it rose quickly in popularity but faded just as fast, losing much of its audience by the fourth season. It was moved to Saturdays from its original Friday slot and ultimately cancelled after four seasons.

The show ultimately became very successful in reruns. Interestingly, while The Partridge Family was actually more popular than The Brady Bunch during their original runs, The Brady Bunch took off as a syndicated hit more quickly.

Like many popular TV shows at the time, such as The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family also had its own comic book series. Charlton Comics published it, and the artwork was created by experienced comic artist Don Sherwood.

What is the context of the comic book panels?

In the twelfth episode of The Partridge Family, the family gets the chance to star in their own movie. They arrive at a studio modeled after Paramount, which was having a comeback at the time. Movie studios were struggling in the late 1960s – in fact, Warner Bros. was even bought by the same company that owned DC Comics – but Paramount had recently found success with hit films like the first two Godfather movies.

Naturally, Danny wanders off by himself and ends up visiting the set of an adult film. Luckily, Keith manages to keep him from seeing anything inappropriate.

Honestly, looking back, the biggest thing that feels weird now is remembering what an “X-Rated” movie actually meant back then. It’s crazy to think that just a few years before, Midnight Cowboy – which won Best Picture – carried that rating! It really puts things in perspective.

Okay, so when they say ‘nudity,’ they really mean it. But honestly, it wasn’t like a straight-up porn movie – those weren’t usually shot on proper studio lots, even back in the 70s. Still, it was rated X, so it wasn’t exactly family-friendly, if you know what I mean. It was definitely pushing the boundaries, even for that time.

There ys go, Jennifer! Hope all is well with you!

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That concludes this installment of Comic Book Legends Revealed (#960)! For more fascinating stories about the behind-the-scenes of movies and television, visit my site. You can also find great content on Pop Culture References!

I’m always open to hearing your ideas for future comic book greats! You can reach me with your suggestions at cronb01@aol.com or brianc@cbr.com.

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2026-05-16 02:17